Impacts of Chopped Food on Primate Behavior Are Not Clear Cut. A Case Study on Zoo-Housed Ring-Tailed Lemurs

Measuring how food presentation influences behavior helps encourage practices that support natural foraging efforts for species housed in zoos. To test the effect of food presentation on a commonly housed zoo primate, observations of the behavior of ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta), housed at Tropiquaria Zoo in the UK, were undertaken to analyze how different food presentation conditions elicited variation in activity budgets, positive behavioral diversity, and performance of foraging behavior. Lemur behaviors were analyzed in relation to two food presentation conditions (chopped produce and whole produce) using a Shannon's Diversity Index (H-index) adapted for behavioral data. A repeated measures ANOVA was used to investigate whether factors including weather, temperature, and visitor presence had an impact on foraging behavior or if food presentation style was the most important factor. Higher rates of foraging and exploration (locomotion) were observed when lemurs were fed chopped food, whereas animals spent more time eating and performing maintenance behaviors when provided with whole food. There was no significant difference in calculated positive behavioral diversity between chopped and whole food. Food presentation style and weather conditions were important influences of time spent foraging, but temperature and visitor presence had no effect. Our findings show how other influencing factors, alongside of food presentation style, are likely to affect how zoo animals engage with, and ultimately consume, the diet they are offered. We suggest that providing zoo-housed lemurs with both chopped and whole food items is likely to promote a range of natural foraging behaviors and enhance overall animal welfare outputs.